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What he thinks of that is writ plainly on Han's face. Mostly, how dare Luke suggest he'd drag them both there.

"Not unless you think it'll help."

And they're out and away, headed toward the docks. "I've gotta take care of something. If you're not at the Falcon when I get there, I'm sending Chewie after you."

Luke reflects that there's probably no one there anymore, which would be superior to Coruscant or anywhere else. In terms of his likelihood of running into anyone who might get going about holothrillers or his reputation, anyway. He lets Han lead him partway to the docks, but stops at that brisk dismissal.

"And what do you think is going to help?"

Where could they possibly be going in such a hurry?

He walks backward a few paces to look at Luke.

"C'mon, kid, don't you trust me?"

The point is less where right now. Bakura might work, but maybe Kashyyyk to see Chewbacca's family. Anywhere away from the madness on Coruscant or the obligations to the New Republic.

"Just get to the Falcon. I won't be long."

He's sorely tempted to make a sharp retort, but the fact is that there's no one in the galaxy he trusts more than Han, Leia, or Chewie. If Han really thinks there's somewhere he can take Luke that'll make things better, then...well, Luke might need to see it to believe it, but he'll follow Han until he does.

"Fine."

And in a rare display of perfect obedience, actually heads in the direction of the Falcon.

At least he still trusts someone. Han goes his own way, then heads back for the Falcon. Not fast enough to set a record, but not taking his time either. By the time he gets back, he's got clearance codes, semi-viable excuses for their absence, and a promise to Chewie that they'll stop at Kashyyyk before going anywhere else.

"Ready to go, kid?"

He better be, because Han is headed straight for the pilot's chair. The sooner they're off the ground the harder it'll be for Luke to change his mind.

"Would you actually stop," Luke asks reflectively, "if I said no?"

He's not saying no, for the record, but as Han gets the Falcon warmed up and off the ground with all the hurry as if they were leaving a battlefield and not just Coruscant -- well, he can't really help wondering.

Han shrugs as the Falcon lifts up.

"I'd consider it."

Or at least make a show of considering it. At this point he's certainly not slowing down.

As Luke sinks into a passenger's seat, he's all to aware of Chewbacca in front of him, shoulders shaking as he barks out a laugh at Han's and his antics. Thanks, Chewie.

"You'd consider it? That's nice of you."

"Well," and he turns just enough to give Luke a look, "considering you're hiring people to investigate yourself, I don't really trust your judgement."

Outrage flits across Luke's expression, and he even opens his mouth before seeming to think better of it. Instead, he crosses his arms with a frown and leans back in his seat.

Chewie continues to regard them with amusement, growling a comment that manages to be sympathetic to the both of them.

Something along the lines of 'Keep your eyes forward,', in a very rough translation.

A direction Han follows begrudgingly but without actual complaint, like an oddly patient toddler. Then he sighs as he punches coordinates into the navigation computer and prepares to start the hyperdrive.

"Look, you needed to get away from all that, and you can't tell me you would've gone yourself. So just try to enjoy the ride, okay?"

"You still haven't said where we're going," Luke points out with no small degree of pettiness.

Not very appropriate to the last of the Jedi, or a galaxy-known Jedi, or any sort of Jedi at all; he sounds a lot more like a farm boy from a backwater planet right at that moment, asking if Han's rusty old bucket can actually outrun Imperials or make jumps to hyperspace in time after all. Swap out all the black for something more Tatooine, and he'd probably almost look the part too.

"Kashyyyk," which is true, and Chewie lets out a mewling kind of growl as if to say damn right we are.

The resemblance to the Old Luke in the moment is reassuring. There's no way any of them can go back to being what they'd been before all of this, but they're allowed to have moments of regression. Han likes to think it makes the rest of what they have to do easier.

"Not sure where after that, but I owe Chewbacca some time with the family, and you could use some fresh air." And getting carried around in a quulaar.

He's still frowning at Han, but Chewie's corroboration is pretty hard to argue with. Luke doubts they could go anywhere else after an announcement like that, but he guesses he can see why Han would've thought it a good idea for them to go there. He's never actually been to Kashyyyk personally, nor met Chewbacca's family, and it's a pretty good bet for an inhabited planet where people aren't likely to bring up his reputation much. Or the holothrillers. So he relaxes back into his seat a fraction, even though his arms are still crossed.

"How long's it been since you've been back, Chewie?"

Chewie growls a response between managing his side of the flight console, and Han readily translates, "Less than a year."

As far as Han's concerned, Kashyyyk is where Luke can decompress without exploding. Plus, there's plenty of nature around, so he can do whatever Jedi meditation he likes so long as he's not in a Wookiee's way.

He can also enjoy the fact that there is nature on this planet at all, something there's been precious little chance to do even after leaving Tatooine. The trees are likely to make Endor look puny, with significantly fewer bad memories in the mix.

"Tell me about your family," he asks Chewie.

It's nice to have a captive audience, and Chewie whuffs and grumbles and growls. Han listens and turns slowly in his seat now that they're in hyperspace and his attention isn't needed at the console.

"Has to be, what, six years since you and Malla had that wedding?" The nodding and grumbled Wookiee laughter needs no translation, and Han actually smiles. "Which makes Lumpawarrump about five."

Chewie has plenty of time to tell them all about his family and home planet on the way there, but that doesn't make Kashyyyk any less breathtakingly beautiful. The Ewoks had had settlements among the trees, but the Wookiees have whole cities in tiers, entire existences spent without touching the ground. Luke's seen trees since leaving Tatooine, but never so big or so many.

He gets about a minute of quiet awe before the quulaar topic comes up, at least, and then Han gets more than a minute of a good laugh at his expense. Luke gets the distinct feeling that this is payback.

But it is, admittedly, hard to stay mad. Malla introduces them to hot chocolate and other exotic sweets, and Chewie's clearly thrilled to be back home. The Shyriiwook isn't always easy to follow, but the hugging and Han's translations don't leave a lot to doubt. He tries to follow Han's instructions and put things about the Republic out of his mind, but it's only so long before he can resist asking:

"Have you heard from Leia?"

Hey, at least Han knew what Luke was getting into from experience.

For his part, Han hasn't taken any of his own advice. When he's not helping Luke around the little village or translating, he's making regular comm contact with Leia and a few other contacts in this sector. With Leia, half the conversations have involved poorly received attempts to get her to join them on this little retreat. The rest has been to keep an eye on things, Han's paranoia never quite shutting off completely, and to make sure nothing that is happening ends up happening too close.

Probably why the look he gives Luke for the question is more incredulous than it might have been otherwise.

"Yeah, plenty." He eyes Luke for a second before realizing something. "And don't go doing that... Thing, either. It's the middle of the night where she is on Coruscant and she doesn't need you waking her up."

"I wasn't going to!" he says defensively.

He's tempted to point out that if he was going to do that, he wouldn't have to bother with asking Han about her anyway. And that he knows Leia is asleep, even without calculating the time difference. Then again, Han's never been too clear on the limitations of the Force, and he hasn't been interested in learning; that'd probably fall on deaf ears.

"I just wanted to know how my sister's doing."

Stressing the word pointedly in case, you know, Han forgot or anything.

He's never been clear because it's weird. Leia has talked to him before about it, explaining things as she comes to understand them, but most of it sails over his head.

"Your sister," and it is a small miracle he doesn't roll his eyes, "is doing fine. Except for the fact that she won't just come with us."

Why yes, Han is annoyed that Leia isn't joining them in jumping on the 'Run Away From Your Problems' vacation tour.

"She's probably got a lot on her plate," he says guiltily, and bites his lip.

She always does, of course, but it can't really help to have Han, Chewie, and himself gone. To say nothing of the fastest ship the galaxy's probably ever seen. Leia's too responsible to ever just abandon her duties for the New Republic, even if it is for a much-deserved vacation with her best friends.

"Maybe we should go back and check on her."

"When doesn't she?" But Han deflates a little. He's just as worried about Leia being overworked as he is about Luke hiring investigators over Mindor, except he can only seem to handle one of them at a time. He's done worse juggling acts, but the risks are generally a little higher with Skywalkers.

"Still got another stop before anybody goes back to Coruscant, kid."

Han has a good point. Leia's been overworked since before they ever met her, and the war's progression has done nothing to lessen the load on her. If anything, it's gotten worse, but you'd never know it if you weren't close enough to her. Leia's poise has never faltered, but that's no excuse for anything. Luke's ready to insist they start the trip back as soon as they can -- Chewie can always catch up with them after some more time with his family -- but Han's answer is, at least, enough to give him pause.

"When were you going to mention that?"

He doesn't surprised in the least, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to hassle Han for yet another stop on their impromptu trip.

He shrugs. Bakura had been an end point destination in the back of his head for a while. Not that Han is going to say so now and give Luke a chance to psych himself out of doing anything while he's there.

"Figure you and I can head out tomorrow. So, later tonight?"

That seems a logical timeframe for what is already, essentially, an extended vacation based on gentle and concerned kidnapping.

PICK YOUR POISON
PIC PROMPTS / TFLN / RANDOM SCENARIO
HAN SOLO velocities	BETTY MCRAE bombsheller	RIVER TAM subsulcus	RIVER TAM (AU) comprehender
SIMON TAM vest	BRIA THAREN exulted	NADINE CROSS bridaled	GU JUN-PYO toddler
available on special request: veronica sawyer, benjamin linus, imani, maria deluca, mushu, poseidon, niccolò machiavelli, malik al-sayf, chloe

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